Where did January go?

Boy, did this month of January go by quickly - I suspect it's because it was so mild ... yes, mild in January in our neck of the woods.  Last winter was our coldest in 18 years so I figure a mild January was owed to us.  ^^ Alas, the weather will get back to normal this weekend.  :(

Look at this beautiful bouquet of fabric - and it smells quite lovely, too!  I won it on Lesley's blog - isn't this a beautiful arrangement - needless to say I was thrilled to bits.  I'm enjoying looking at this so I haven't removed the fabric just yet  - I'll wait till I decide just what I'm going to make with it.

Here's a new and interesting blog to check out.

A winter table mat seemed appropriate.  The snowmen designs are from here - I stitched this in November but couldn't come up with the right fabric for the binding ... then, bingo, the perfect piece appeared!  ^^  If you recall, I'm sewing from stash, which can be a challenge ..... sometimes the right fabric is available but there isn't enough of it.  The dark blue batik reminded me of Jack Frost's paintings.

In honour of Groundhog Day on February 2 .....

I've been cleaning up and sorting through the sewing room - here are some golden oldies to look at .....

 I've had these items for a very long time.  The bodice on the pink pincushion has been crocheted around a chicken wishbone - the wishbone is painted pink with nail polish, there's a thimble at the very top and a hanger perhaps to represent a hat - and the light pink in the centre is where you stick the pins and needles... I should've stuck some in. ^^  The purple one is a hat and also has a thimble.  The top item is called a scarf saver with a wee safety pin at the back to use to attach to the inside of your coat; the verse says "I am just a little ring, not much good for anything.  But inside your coat, out of sight, I'll keep your scarf just right."  These bring back very fond memories - life was simpler and the gift of a scarf saver was appreciated.

You'll recognize the Happy Home needle book - I think everyone had one of these at one time.  The needle book on the right was a gift from a pen friend in the UK when I was in my early teens.  These are all the wooden spools that I have but I'm happy to have this many.  The darning tool and awl belonged to my MIL and I've used them many times myself.   I've put these in a glass jar where they look pretty and hopefully won't get lost.^^